Earlier this month I visited Florence thanks to I-escape and Auree, for a short, yet sweet and tranquil trip away. We stayed at Riva Lofts situated away from the hustle and bustle of central Florence. (Happily only a 5 stop tram ride into the centre making it the perfect location to pop in and out of town.) However, if public transport isn't your thing I'd recommend taking one of their bicycles for a scenic route into town. (There's a traffic-free cycle path making it perfect for someone who hasn't hopped on a bike since they were a child..)

Our apartment at Riva Lofts was stunning. The interiors were incredible, think polished concrete floors, muted colour-schemes and vintage furniture. The four poster bed being the main attraction, equipped with curtains to keep out the sun light if you're all about your sleep on holiday.

To celebrate the launch of the Auree Golden Age collection (which I've been wearing all around Florence, and beyond!) Auree has teamed up with I-escape to give one lucky winner £250 I-escape voucher and a £500 Auree jewellery voucher! Scroll down to the bottom of this post for entry details!

Simply enter this competition before midnight 30th November 2018 and you could win £500 to spend at Auree and £250 to spend with i-escape.

Thank you to Auree and I-escape for making my trip to Florence magical!

We finished decorating our bedroom a good couple of months now, and whilst I'm insanely pleased with how the room looks on an interior level there's one thing missing, a comfortable nights sleep. We bought our house in August last year and being in such a rush to sleep in our new home the day we picked up the keys we rushed out and bought the first mattress we found, not bothered about the mattress in general just the excitement of having our first nights sleep in our new home.

Almost a year later, and whilst the excitement of owning our first home is still there, the thought of going to sleep at night was an instant dread. An uncomfortable mattress together with numerous deadlines and being unable to switch off at the best of times doesn't exactly achieve the best nights sleep. And that's when The Leesa Mattress stepped in.

The Leesa Mattress is designed with one goal in mind: to help people get a better nights sleep. With their 100 night risk free trial and delivered and built in 5-7 business days you have more than enough time to suss out whether The Leesa Mattress is for you, and if it's not they donate the mattress to a charitable organisation and provide a full refund. So what's to lose?

Don't get me wrong, I was sceptical about buying a mattress online that I hadn't already tried out. But, the thought of the 100 night's trial soon pushed that doubt to the back of my mind.

The Leesa Mattress is built with three foam layers that adjust to your body to provide optimum support. The 5cm thick top layer is made of Avena foam which is a responsive material that allows airflow through the mattress for a cooler nights sleep. Perfect for the heatwave we're experiencing in the UK! The 5cm thick middle layer made up of memory foam and the 15cm thick bottom layer adapts to your body providing optimum support and comfort.

The Leesa Mattress is delivered compressed and rolled into a box just 106cm tall. Unboxing couldn't be easier. I simply unboxed the mattress in our bedroom, placed on the slats, remove the inner and outer plastic whilst unrolling the mattress and watch it expand and take shape.

I'm not sure I've ever said this about a mattress before but it suits our bedroom perfectly! The Leesa Mattress is a gorgeous light grey colour featuring four white iconic stripes at the bottom of the mattress.

Initially laying down on The Leesa Mattress I was sceptical about it being too firm compared to the soft mattress we've been sleeping on for the past year. But, after just a couple of nights sleep I couldn't be happier when I wake up in the morning. I fall sleep comfortable and enveloped in the foam layers until my alarm goes off the next morning. I can hardly feel my boyfriend moving in the night and the amount of tossing and turning has reduced significantly.

I'm off on holiday at the end of the week, at last! I've been gradually buying my Summer pieces since the Winter months and I've created quiet the collection. What I tend to struggle with the most with packing for a long weekend is cramming everything into a carry on-it sounds impossible (especially talking from a serial over-packer) but trust me, it can be done.

I've partnered with Banana Republic to show you my favourite pieces from their new collection, why I'm taking them away with me on my long weekend and most importantly how I'm wearing them.

I think the most important trick to packing is to pack things that are interchangeable. For example a crisp white shirt linen which can be worn tucked into a pair of linen trousers, worn open over a swimsuit or tied up at the waist and worn with a floral maxi.

That being said these Banana Republic polka dot trousers will be great for a day to night scenario. They're a really cool straight leg and slightly cropped on the bottom which is key for me when shopping for trousers. They're really light and machine washable-bonus! Day time I'll be keeping it simple with a crisp white tee (A staple in any suitcase) and a pair of simple white trainers. Come evening, I'll be pairing the trousers with a strappy cami and a heeled sandal.

The trick with interchangeable outfits is to pack your staples and make sure you're getting at least 2/3 outfits out of each, that way you'll master the carry on!